Los Angeles Clippers Are Clear NBA Favorites As Kawhi Leonard Dominates, Paul George's Return Looms

The Los Angeles Clippers entered the 2019-2020 NBA season with the highest expectations of any team after acquiring two star players in the summer. Just a few days into the start of meaningful games, it’s clear that the top team in L.A. was rightfully named the favorite to win the championship.

Before taking on the Los Angeles Lakers on Opening Night, the Clippers led the league with +350 NBA Finals odds at multiple sportsbooks. The team could not have been more impressive in their first two games with Kawhi Leonard leading the way, beating the Lakers and Golden State Warriors by a combined 29 points.

With Anthony Davis and LeBron James now in the fold, the Lakers are the second favorites at +440. The Warriors are sixth in the NBA but still considered to be contenders with +1200 title odds.

It’s hard to believe Golden State will be able to compete with the Clippers after what happened Thursday night.

The Clippers trounced the Warriors 141-122 in Golden State’s home opener at the new Chase Center. Without Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson, the Warriors looked overmatched against the much better and much deeper Clippers.

Leonard scored 21 points with a career-high nine assists against the Warriors. Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams combined to score 40 points off the bench.

It was a similar story against the Lakers. Leonard was the best player on the floor with 30 points on 10-19 shooting to go along with six rebounds, five assists and two steals. The Clippers’ bench outscored the Lakers’ reserves 60-19.

The Clippers’ second unit might be the NBA’s best. It’s going to help them win plenty of regular-season games, especially when Leonard’s load management comes into play.

And the Clippers are doing this without Paul George. The third-place finisher in the 2019 MVP race is still a few weeks away from returning from offseason shoulder surgery.

The Clippers won 48 games last season. The team brough back most of its core, essentially swapping Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari for Leonard and George.

Leonard is unquestionably the best player in basketball. He seized that mantle with the 2019 NBA Finals MVP award and has looked just as good at the start of his Clippers’ career.

The NBA season is barely a week old. Every other team has only played one game. There are plenty of twists and turns, injuries and trades that will play a major role in the title chase over the next eight months.

The Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers both had impressive wins in their openers. It’s probably a two-team race between them in the Eastern Conference.

But the Clippers’ early play and the reinforcements they have coming should put them in a tier of their own as the clear title favorites.